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Ryan Cady is a writer of comics and horror fiction based in Brooklyn, New York. He has written for such properties as The X-Files and MAGDALENA, as well as a number of original short stories and creator-owned features. His early reviews of terrible fast food products for the OC Weekly remain his greatest creative triumph.

A veteran of the initial Image Comics launch, Matt started his career in comic book publishing in 1993 and has been working with Image as a creator, writer, and executive for over 20 years. President/COO of Top Cow since 1998, Matt has created and written over 30 new franchises for Top Cow and Image including Think Tank, The Tithe, Necromancer, VICE, Lady Pendragon, Aphrodite IX, Tales of Honor as well as handling the company’s business affairs.

Next up we have Dean Haspiel, Emmy Award winner and Eisner Award nominee! He created BILLY DOGMA, illustrated for HBO’s BORED TO DEATH, and has written, drawn, and collaborated on many superhero comic books and literary graphic novels including AMERICAN SPLENDOR, THE FOX, SPIDER-MAN, WONDER WOMAN, DEADPOOL, X-MEN, BATMAN, THE FANTASTIC FOUR, GODZILLA, and MARS ATTACKS, and many more!

Without further ado, here are our 5 questions for Dean!

Long Beach Comic Con: What are you most excited about for LBCC?

Dean Haspiel: Besides Hot Tub-Con (shhh – don’t ask/don’t tell)? I enjoy participating in panels yielding spirited discussions about the medium and the synergy between fans and peers while celebrating mainstream and small press comics.

LBCC: What question do fans ask you most often?

DH: When will you bring back Billy Dogma? Will you do more of The Fox for Archie Comics?

LBCC: Is there anything you try to make time to see when you’re at a con?

DH: I always try to meet the creators I admire. Especially, the veterans of the form. I started out as a fan and I remain one.

LBCC: What is your view on the comic industry and how has it changed over the years?

DH: Comics was a haven for nerds and outliers and has become a worldwide phenomenon of the form. Even though the business of comics is hard to crack, it’s one of the easiest mediums to express yourself in. It only takes a blank piece of paper and your imagination.LBCC: What is the most surprising or rewarding thing that’s happened to you at a show?

DH: Over the years, there have been plenty of surprises and rewards (including the Ringo award I received for my webcomic, The Red Hook, last year at Baltimore Comicon), but nothing beats meeting genuine fans of your work. The people who take time to swing by and let you know that they appreciate your work

Thanks for playing along, Dean!

Don’t miss Dean’s panel with Jonathan Ames on Sunday at 12:00 PM in room S1 celebrating the 10th anniversary of their graphic novel THE ALCOHOLIC.

First up we have Benjamin Harper, co-author of the BUG GIRL series from Macmillan. Ben’s other books include OBSESSED WITH STAR WARS from Chronicle Books; STAR WARS: SHIPS OF THE GALAXY, STAR WARS: THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE, and other Star Wars titles from Studio Fun!; HANSEL AND GRETEL AND ZOMBIES AND BIRD BOY graphic novelizations from Capstone Books; and many more.

Without further ado, here are our 5 questions for Ben!

Long Beach Comic Con: What are you most excited about for LBCC?

Benjamin Harper: I’ve never been to a con in an official capacity for any of my writing projects before! Sarah [Stephens, co-author of BUG GIRL] and I are super-excited for the opportunity to have our own booth, D7, and we hope we get to meet lots of people and introduce them to BUG GIRL. We’re also really looking forward to taking part in the children’s comics panel on Sunday!

LBCC: What made you want to be a part of the industry?

BH: I’ve been a massive geek since 1977 – can you guess why? And I’ve always been especially passionate about the positive messages that superhero and science fiction stories can bring to kids. Writing children’s books – especially BUG GIRL – has given me the opportunity to do just that. BUG GIRL is an outsider in her middle school – but ultimately, she finds out that the things that make her different from the other kids are the traits that make her the strongest.

LBCC: What is one message you’d like to give your fans?

BH: BUG GIRL is all about taking whatever makes you feel awkward or different or maybe even like an outcast and using it to make yourself stronger. She doesn’t let bullies bruise her spirit – and that’s what we want kids to learn. Being yourself is the best superpower you can have.

LBCC: What is the most surprising or rewarding thing to happen to you at a show or with a fan?

BH: It’s always great to meet kids who have read and loved BUG GIRL – but we met one girl at a signing whose mother told us that she loved BUG GIRL so much after she checked it out from the library that she hadn’t wanted to return it. They checked it out several times. By chance they had discovered our signing for book two and came. She was kind of starstruck, and so were we.

LBCC: What questions do fans ask you most often?

BH: The ones we get most often are, “Is there going to be a third book? and “Is there going to be a movie?” My favorite was at a school visit. A student asked what our favorite colors are. I said, “Black!” and the room, about 135 children in grades 3-5, collectively gasped.

Thanks for playing along, Ben!

Don’t forget to stop by D7 to say hello and check out the panel Nothing’s the Matter with Kids (Comics) Today on Sunday at 11:00 AM in Room S4!

Kathleen Behun is an award-winning indie film writer and director. Her debut feature film, 21 DAYS, a paranormal thriller, was recently released by GRAVITAS VENTURES. She was named by YOU’VE GOT RED ON YOU, the leading UK based horror website, as one of the top emerging female horror filmmakers in the world.

Steve Ellis is the illustrator and co-creator behind THE SILENCERS and HIGH MOON (with David Gallaher).
Steve Ellis’ work has been featured on CD covers, computer games, trading cards, books, RPGs, magazines, toys, and comics. Ellis worked for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Wizards of the Coast, and Upper Deck, among other companies. His Dungeons & Dragons work for Wizards of the Coast includes interior illustrations for Libris Mortis, Frostburn, Lords of Madness, Complete Adventurer, and Player’s Handbook II.

While acting as penciler and inker for Marvel Comics and DC Comics’ famous properties like LOBO, IRON MAN, and GREEN LANTERN, Ellis has spearheaded such new titles as Wildstorm’s JEZEBELLE and the Marvel/Epic lines’ CRIMSON DYNAMO. He has created the critically successful science fiction comic series TRANQUILITY, his super-powered Mob epic THE SILENCERS (with co-conspirator Fred Van Lente) and has had success winning the Zuda Comics online comics competition with fan favorite HIGH MOON. He has also done numerous cover illustrations for books and games. Steve Ellis took over artistic duties on GREEN LANTERN CORPS for DC Comics during their “Convergence” event in 2015.

Tony Fleecs is the writer and artist of IN MY LIFETIME, an autobiographical comic book. First published in 2006, ‘LIFETIME was an immediate critical success, featured twice in Wizard Magazine, in the Comic Buyer’s Guide, and on the Ain’t-It-Cool-News.

Fleecs has since been a contributor to anthologies including; POSTCARDS: TRUE STORIES THAT NEVER HAPPENED (nominated for the 2008 Eisner and Harvey awards for best anthology), Boom Studios’ PULP TALES and C.B. Cebulski’s WONDERLOST. He and writer, Josh Fialkov, provided the Li’l FireBreather backup stories for Phil Hester’s 2nd FIREBREATHERseries at Image Comics. Last year saw his first work for hire writing work when he scripted the comic book adaptation of the classic John Holmes film, TELL THEM JOHNNY WADD, widely regarded as the first comic book based on a porno to not be completely awful.

This year, Tony will co-write and illustrate the graphic novel JEFF STEINBERG: CHAMPION OF EARTH (again with Fialkov) for Oni Press.

Author David Gallaher has received multiple Harvey Award nominations and won The Best Online Comic Award for his work on HIGH MOON for DC Comics. David was an early pioneer of digital comics developing projects for Marvel‘s IRON MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, and SPIDER-MAN as well as BOX 13 – the first comic designed specifically for the iPhone – for ComiXology. He has served as a consulting editor for ATTACK ON TITAN, SAILOR MOON, and FAIRY TAIL for Kodansha. He is the author of the best-selling young adult series: THE ONLY LIVING BOY.

Victoria Ikerd-Schreiter aka Wonder Woman is Real is not only a well-known Wonder Woman cosplayer who has over 20 different versions of Wonder Woman cosplays as both cannon, variant, and mashup/crossover versions of the Amazon Princess but she is also a Wonder outside of her costumes.

She is the founder of the Real League of Justice, a nonprofit disability advocacy foundation and law firm that helps families affected by disabilities with many of their struggles and battles trying to live their greatest lives. Her league of super friends plans to make the world better by actually diving into problems that families may have, because, as some of them have raised children with special needs themselves, they understand how hard a struggle it is to navigate the systems and needs that families are forced to fight against so that their child can live a better quality or more independent and free life. Through this, they also hope to focus on the national and global struggles of these families so that everyone can see how truly capable many of these beautiful children can be when given the resources and interventions they need. All of that and they want to help children feel like the real superheroes they are every day.